Our present invention relates to an underwire brassiere and cup arrangement and, more particularly, to a brassiere construction utilizing an underwire having a swivelable portion lying alongside the breast.
Underwire brassieres are well known and generally comprise a separate underwire received in a channel formed by stitching below each cup of the brassiere, or a single underwire frame with respective portions received in such channels beneath each cup and connected at a bridge piece between the underwire segments where the cups are joined together at the mid portion of the front of the brassiere. The underwires may be relatively flexible to assume the shape imparted to them by the channel while nevertheless providing support beneath the breast. They also can be comparatively stiff so that the shape of the channel after the underwire has been stitched into the brassiere, is the shape of the portion of the brassiere pressing against the chest of the wearer.
In our copending application ser. No. 09/837,869, filed Apr. 10, 2001, we have described an underwire having a swiveling portion or wing which can be generally of spoon shape and which is intended to rest against the side of the breast to adjust automatically in its angular position with respect to an arcuate tail, to the contour of the body at the junction of the breast with the remainder of the chest.
It is the main object of the present invention to extend the principles of that copending application and provide an improved brassiere and cup structure which can maximize the advantages of the swivelable underwire.
Another object of this invention is to provide a brassiere structure which eliminates drawbacks of earlier brassiere structures.
These objects are obtained, in accordance with the invention in a brassiere which comprises:
a pair of brassiere cups;
straps connected to the brassiere cups and enabling the brassiere to be supported on a torso of a wearer whose breasts are received in the cups, each of the cups having a pocket lying along an outer side of a respective breast and extending into a respective channel narrower than the respective pocket and extending along a lower edge of a respective cup and upwardly along an inner side of the respective breast; and
a respective underwire received in the pocket and the channel and having a generally spoon-shaped wing received in the respective pocket and an arcuate tail extending along the respective channel, the wing being swivelably connected to the respective tail.
More particularly, we have found that an underwire having a generally spoon shaped or broad swivelable end portion referred to also as a wing herein and an arcuate tail portion connected to the broad end portion at a swivel joint is best received in a pocket formed by a piece of fabric affixed to the cup-forming fabric and stitched along the tail portion of the underwire while leaving the broad portion free to swivel within the pocket. Not only does the underwire thus accommodate itself to the actual shape of the breast at its junction with the sternum or chest of the wearer, but the pocket, when attached to the cup fabric in the manner described, forms a substantially inextensible harness or sling for the underwire which draws the free end of the tail thereof toward the free end or tip of the broad portion.
The result is a more comfortable fit and accommodation of the brassiere to the breast while providing the full support of the underwire.
According to a feature of the invention, the pocket fabric is stitched along the underside of the cup fabric and that a location across the cup well above the side portion of the underwire to allow free swivelling of the latter. The pocket fabric can be provided on the exterior or interior of the cup fabric as desired and the free portion of the pocket can be provided on either side of the breast.
According to a feature of the invention, the pocket of each cup is formed by a respective strip of a tricot fabric stitched to the fabric of the cup at least along two opposite edges of the strip. The strip is substantially inextensible and retains the underwire against opening (spreading) when a breast is received in the respective cup. Advantageously rows of stitching flank the tail of each underwire substantially along the full length thereof from a free end of the tail to the respective wing or spoon. A row of stitching can pass through the strip along the tail.